The History of the Wedding Ring Finger
Declaring one's love and commitment by the exchanging of rings is a tradition that has existed long before pop star Beyonce Knowles gave men the charge to ''put a ring on it." This tradition goes as far back as the Ancient Egyptians.
Other People Are Reading
-
The Ancient Egyptians
-
Egyptians shaped twigs, hemp, or plant stems into circles and placed them on their brides' ring fingers. The ancient Egyptians believed that a vein located in the fourth finger led directly to the heart. They believed that by placing a ring on this finger, the affections were bound and could not escape through the finger tips.
The Ancient Greeks
-
The Ancient Greeks conquered the Egytians and incorporated their traditions. The Egyptians passed the belief on to the Greeks when they were conquered by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C.
-
The Romans
-
In Ancient Rome, the ring was worn as a sign of ownership. The Romans adopted the use of the ring finger from the Greeks. They too believed it held a vein connected to the heart and called it Vena Amoris or "Vein of Love."
England
-
In the 12th century, Pope Innocent III declared that marriage must be celebrated in church and with a ring. In 1549, King Edward VI decreed that the third finger (counting from the right, excluding the thumb) on the left hand be known as the official ring finger. Also in 1549, the Book of Common Prayers designated the left hand as the marriage hand.
The Scottish
-
An old Scottish tradition states that the ring first be placed on the thumb, then the other fingers in succession before being placed on the ring finger. In Scottish tradition, the ring finger was on the right hand, but was eventually changed to the left when the Roman Church declared the left hand as the marriage hand in the Rituale Romanum of Paul V in 1615.
Diamonds: A Girl's Best Friend
-
The first diamond engagement ring was received in 1477. Legend has it that the first woman to receive a diamond engagement ring was Princess Mary of Burgundy. Her beloved, the Austrian Archduke Maximillian I of Habsburg gave her a diamond engagement ring when he proposed on August 17, 1477.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit pair of hands with ring band placing on finger image by Paul Retherford from Fotolia.com egyptian hieroglyphics image by Albo from Fotolia.com Temple of Apollo in the Ancient Agora in Athens, Greece image by Diane Stamatelatos from Fotolia.com ancient rome image by jim from Fotolia.com pope statue image by Xavier MARCHANT from Fotolia.com Scottish Piper Playing image by Ray Carpenter from Fotolia.com men's diamond ring image by jimcox40 from Fotolia.com
